Receive the latest popcornbiz updates in your inbox

Forced to choose between playing an as-yet-undetermined villain in the "Spider-Man" reboot or Magneto in "X-Men" reboot, Michael Fassbender has finally decided to pick up the mantle of Ian McKellen.

Fassbender will play opposite James McAvoy in "X-Men: First Class," according to Showbiz 411. The movie is being helmed by "Kick-Ass" director Matthew Vaughn, and the cast includes Benjamin Walker as Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast, with Amber Heard and Rosamund Pike rumored for Mystique and Emma Frost, respectively.

"X-Men: First Class," due June 3, 2011, goes back to the team's origins and a time when Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr were still close friends coming to grips with their newfound powers.

It would appear that Fassbender made the smart choice. Vaughn has shown a gift for action, while "Spider-Man" director Marc Webb has yet to do anything even close to a super-hero movie. Also, as bad as "X-Men 3" was, the franchise seems to be in better shape than Spidey. The only possible loser is McAvoy, who had better hope that Fassbender doesn't swallow him whole.

Fassbender is one of the hottest actors this side of Sam Worthington, getting scripts thrown at him from all directions. Why it is that Worthington, a middling actor at best, gets offered leads while Fassbender, a true talent, gets offered supporting role is a mystery for another day.

Since his roles last year in "Inglourious Basterds" and "Fish Tank," Fassbender has been seen in "Jonah Hex," and has a number of films on the way, including "Centurion" (Aug. 27), "Jane Eyre" (March 11), "Haywire" (Jan. 2011) and is currently shooting "A Dangerous Method," about the relationship between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung that's being directed by David Cronenberg and co-starring Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel.